12 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



between top of frames and the cover or 

 mat ; that is, I use only a piece of bur- 

 lap, or old carpet, to confine the bees, at 

 the top leaving not less than one inch 

 of space between the mat and top of 

 frames. On top of the mat I pack 

 loosely five or six inches of forest leaves, 

 or their equivalent. 



This method of preparation, with am- 

 ple stores, and a large entrance, carries 

 my bees through safely all the time. If- 

 I am asked why, I should say the excess 

 of moisture is carried off at the top of 

 the hive ; the ventilation is downward 

 through the entrance, and this excess of 

 moisture cannot be collected. This is 

 not theory ; it is practice. It is not an 

 improved experiment, but a matter that 

 has been tested over and over again, 

 with like results in every case. 



I prefer double-walled hives, as they 

 do give protection to a large extent, but 

 I Winter bees in single-walled hives, 

 with the temperature 15'^ to 20^3 below 

 zero. 



Complexity has always been at war 

 with simplicity, but when all learn that 

 simplicity is king, then they will begin 

 to accomplish great results. — American 

 Bee-Keeper. 



North Attleboro, Mass. 



Some SeasoiiaWe Hints. 



C. H. DIBBERN. 



The successful bee-keeper can find 

 plenty of work to do now, that will 

 greatly lessen the work when the busy 

 time comes again. 



Now is a good time to work in the 

 shop, by the side of a warm stove, and 

 overhaul the empty hives and cases, and 

 put all in good repair for another season. 



It is a capital time now to make up 

 the sections for next season, put in the 

 foundation, and store them away where 

 mice and rats cannot get at them. They 

 will be very handy next June. 



If some of the supers have a good deal 

 of burr-comb sticking to them, see if the 

 bee-spaces are not faulty. 



If your hives or fixtures need painting, 

 now is as good a time as any to do it. 



If you will hunt up work now, it will 

 not hunt you so persistently next Spring. 



Tiuit all sections fiihul with honey-dew 

 IumI Ix^ttcr 1)(( put in easels by tluMnsclves, 

 and used to stiinuhito tiie boi^s next 

 S|)rjng. 



Many bees will be lost the coming 

 Winter by the "starvation plan," es- 



pecially by farmers, and those who 

 allow the bees to " shift for themselves." 



Should the coming Winter prove a 

 severe one, those who have placed their 

 affections in the thin shells without 

 packing, will be among the chief mourn- 

 ers next April. 



The honey-dew was, after all, a 

 "blessing in disguise," for without it we 

 would have had to feed in July, or lose 

 our bees. The trouble was, that there 

 was little else to be had. It kept up 

 brood-rearing, and the young bees gath- 

 ered the Winter stores. — Plowman. 



Milan, Ills. 



KortliAinerlcanBee-KeeDers' Association. 



VP. Z. HUTCHINSON. 



A few of the more enterprising mem- 

 bers arrrived at Albany, N. Y., Dec. 8, 

 1891, and the evening was passed in an 

 informal chat, the renewing of old 

 friendships, and the forming of new 

 ones. The first formal meeting was held 

 on the morning of Dec. 10, when Presi- 

 dent Elwood addressed the Convention 

 as follows : 



President's Address. • 



The labors and experiences of another 

 season are ended, and its lessons largely 

 learned. A bee-keeper of my acquaint- 

 ance devotes this part of the year to a 

 careful comparison of the main points 

 in the season's experience with those of 

 previous years. The facts are then still 

 fresh in mind, and the conclusions are 

 useful. In proof that he is eminently 

 successful in his business, I might men- 

 tion his name but for fear of his modest 

 presence with us. So we, in Convention 

 assembled, may compare our varied 

 experiences during the season just closed, 

 and, on doubtful points, gather wisdom 

 more rapidly and cheaply than to work 

 it out in our own bee-yards. 



With so large a crop in one part of our 

 country that the markets are surfeited, 

 while much of the remaining portion is 

 begging for choice comb-honey, it may 

 be that we shall learn a useful lesson on 

 the distribution of our products. What 

 are the hindrances to a better distribu- 

 tion of honey ? 



1. Our method of marketing, which 

 hurries it off to market without waiting 

 to hiarn where it is needed. 



2. Freight rates are too high, and what 

 is worse, honey is handled carc^lessly by 

 railroad men, making it difficult to reach 

 distant markets. 



